Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2006-07: In his first season with the Smiths Falls Bears (CJHL), Mark Borowiecki tallied three goals and 28 points through 53 games. He also racked up a career-high 85 penalty minutes.

2007-08: The Smiths Falls Bears (CJHL) defenseman netted a pair of goals and 26 points through 46 games in his second season with the club. He was voted this years CJHL Best Defenseman and was nominated to the CJHL All-Star Team.

2008-09: Borowiecki tallied a goal and two points in 33 games with Clarkson University (ECAC), his first season as a Golden Knight.

2009-10: Borowiecki skated in 35 games with Clarkson University as a sophomore. He tallied 8 goals and 11 assists and was -2 with 24 PMs on a Golden Knights that finished last in ECAC Hockey and won just nine games.

2010-11: Borowiecki joined AHL Binghamton after signing a two-year, entry-level contract with Ottawa in March 2011 following his junior year at Clarkson. He skated in nine regular season games for Binghamton and was scoreless and -2 with 6 PMs. Borowiecki played in 21 of 23 playoff games as Binghamton captured the AHL championship and was +5 with 2 assists and 8 PMs. In his final college season with the Golden Knights, Borowiecki was a team captain and skated in 31 games; scoring 3 goals, all on the power play. He had 9 assists and 67 PMs and was -8 on a Clarkson team that tied for seventh in ECAC Hockey.

2011-12: Borowiecki made his NHL debut — appearing in two January games with the Ottawa Senators — and provided both physical play and offensive playmaking for AHL Binghamton in his first full pro season. He had no points and was minus-one with 2 penalty minutes, averaging 12:29 minutes of ice time, in his brief stint with Ottawa. Borowiecki scored 5 goals with 17 assists and was an even plus/minus in 73 games for Binghamton. He was third on the team with 127 penalty minutes and was named to the AHL All-Star game. Binghamton missed the playoffs; finishing fifth in the East Division.

2012-13: Borowiecki appeared in six NHL games with the Senators and led Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Binghamton in penalty minutes in his second pro season. He had no points and was +1 with 18 penalty minutes; averaging 13 minutes of ice time per game with Ottawa. In 53 AHL games he scored 4 goals with 10 assists and was +21 with 157 penalty minutes. Binghamton finished second in the East Division and had the AHL’s fourth-best record before being swept by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a first round series. Borowiecki scored 1 goal and was an even plus/minus with 4 penalty minutes in three playoff games. He was re-signed by Ottawa to a two-year contract as a restricted free agent in July of 2013.

Photo: Mark Borowiecki is one of several defensive prospects the Ottawa Senators have playing at the AHL level. (Tony Medina/Icon SMI)

The future of the Ottawa Senators looks bright. The Senators are considered to have one of the better pools of young talent in the NHL and, while some top draftees have recently cemented themselves on the Ottawa roster, most notably Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen, there are many prospects on the verge of becoming solid NHL contributors in the near future. The club has quality and various skill-sets in all positions and has worked to draft where they previously had weak depth.

Photo: Forward Jakob Silfverberg is one of several Ottawa Senators prospects who will be vying for NHL time in 2012-13. (Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

With a surprise appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2011-12, the Ottawa Senators' rebuilding blueprint is starting to show signs of success. Competition for roster spots and ice time this coming season should be fierce as Jakob Silfverberg, Mark Borowiecki, and Jim O'Brien appear targeted to claim roster spots in Ottawa. Other prospects such as Mika Zibanejad and Robin Lehner should also push for full time spots in the NHL.

Photo: Ottawa Senators prospect Jim O'Brien has made steady progress since being drafted by the club in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft (Jay Kopinski/Icon SMI)

The Ottawa Senators' inaugural prospect award winners are a telling mix of talent at varying stages of readiness, with as many as four players expected to make a push for an NHL roster spot next season. Of the recipients, up to eight could be in the professional ranks by October, a good reflection of the commitment the organization has made to build from within. Noticeably conspicuous by his absence, top ranked prospect Mika Zibanejad received serious consideration in four of these categories.